'Living wage' a hot election year topic

Activists' plan will put pressure on Santa Barbara council members

3/15/05

Activists' plan will put pressure on Santa Barbara council members

NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

In what is likely to become a volatile issue during a City Council election year, activists are poised to propose a "living wage" plan that would require some businesses with city contracts to pay their workers more money.

An effort to put overt political pressure on council members, the proposal is intended to force the council to take action in an election year, just months after they council unapologetically supported the tripling of their own salaries.

"With this council, the timing is good," said

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Steve Cushman, letting out a big sigh. "It's an election year. The council is getting paid now. It's going to be hard for them to argue."

Some of Santa Barbara's leading liberal groups are thrusting the living wage ordinance into the public spotlight, hoping Santa Barbara follows the lead of Ventura County, as well as the cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme. They are expected to announce the plan today on the steps of City Hall.

The ordinance calls for companies that have a minimum $10,000 contract with the city to pay their employees at least $13.40 an hour, or $15.40 if the employers do not provide health insurance. The minimum wage now holds at $6.75 an hour.

The living wage issue ignites passion on both sides.

Supporters believe that city government and employers should pay low-wage earners well beyond the minimum wage because Santa Barbara is an expensive community and one that depends on retail and service workers.

Opponents are equally emotional. They suggest that the city shouldn't meddle with the salaries of private businesses and should let the free market determine wages.

Forcing private business to pay higher salaries will force companies to lay off

workers or charge the city more, opponents believe.

It's an issue that fires up the business community, low wage earners and activists. More than 150 people packed City Hall at several meetings for a less ambitious living wage proposal three years ago.

The proposal would affect many people in Santa Barbara who now pull double-duty, working two jobs to stay afloat financially.

For example, Richard Aquino says he begins his day at 5 a.m., steam-cleaning the red bricks downtown. By noon the hot weather turned his cheeks red and sweat collected on his forehead. Around 1:30 p.m., he collects his tools, three bags of trash, and walks to his other full-time job, as a dishwasher at the Hotel Andaluc’a.

"My job is to clean up State Street," he said.

For his eight hours downtown, Mr. Aquino earned $9.75 an hour.

Santa Barbara City Councilman Das Williams argues a living wage would help people survive in Santa Barbara.

"Santa Barbara needs a living wage," he said. "I think it is the right time. What we just need to work out is what is appropriate for the city and that means the entirety of the city and the greater good."

At least 10 groups, including PUEBLO, the Santa Barbara County Action Network and the Democratic Central Committee have endorsed a living wage proposal. The coalition of groups is calling itself Santa Barbara for a Living Wage.

The ordinance would only affect between 500 and 1,000 workers employed by contractors. The ordinance would also apply to about 300 part-time workers.

It would also apply to nonprofit organizations whose executive director makes at least four times the lowest paid employee in the organization.

Mr. Cushman doesn't like the proposal. It almost pains him to talk about it.

"It is such a difficult thing," he said. "Very few business people that I talk to want to deny a human being a wage they can live on. So it always seems really callous to deny someone."

He fears big problems if the ordinance passes.

"The truth is, if this were to pass I think you would have two things happen," he said. "The contractor would simply raise the price to the city or will reduce the service."

Mr. Aquino is one of about 10 maintenance workers employed by the Downtown Organization, which contracts with the city to keep State Street burnished. His friend Francisco Castillo already makes $15 an hour. But he has worked for the Downtown Organization for 25 years. He likes the idea too.

"Every year expenses go up," Mr. Castillo said. "Salaries should go up too."

George Thurlow, president of the Downtown Organization, said he is waiting to examine the details of the proposal once it becomes formal.

"$13.40 sounds high," he said. "If there is an ordinance, I would assume that we either cut services or pass the cost back to the city. Personally I think the living wage in principle is something that should be debated and discussed in our community."

One of the biggest companies that would feel the crunch is Service Master of Santa Barbara. The company contracts with the city for janitorial service at city buildings.

The group's president, Allen Williams, is skeptical about the proposal. His workers earn between $6.75 and $12 an hour.

"I would like to be able to pay them more, but this is what the market will bear," Mr. Williams said.

He said if the company has to pay more, that means that money is going to have to come out of the city's pocket through a larger contract.

Daraka Larimore-Hall is a member of the group pushing the proposal. He believes in it. He doesn't buy the free-market argument.

"Poverty wages hurt people," said Mr. Larimore-Hall, also a member of the Democratic Central Committee and PUEBLO. "If market forces dictate poverty wages then something needs to be done to intervene in the market. Market forces can do a lot of good things in a society but market forces don't care about the environment, people rights or a sustainable community."

Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum has a lot of questions about the amount of the living wage.

"I think when people work they ought to get a living wage," she said. "It is an important issue for us to have out in the open."